A renaissance woman, Ruth-Ann J. Thompson is a motivational speaker, author, lyricist, soloist, comedian and character actress. She is a court reporter by trade and enjoys using common things to teach practical object lessons. Widowed at age 24, she pulls from personal experiences to weave honesty and humor into her "Sunshine in the Shadows" Grief Seminars, designed to effectively equip attendees with practical tools to navigate life's toughest challenges. Her children's series, The Open Fielders, touches the hearts of children and encourages the hearts of parents. Connections in the Open Field is about diversity; Harmony in the Open Field deals with facing fears. Her next book, Planted Too Soon, will be published in 2020. She delights audiences with her lovable character, the sassy senior citizen, Gethel Z. Jones, and is passionate about raising awareness for autism, adoption and foster alumni. She secretly desires to be a race car driver. To date, Ruth-Ann has composed over 70 songs, including praise and worship songs used nationally. Her freshman vocal project, In the Garden, was released in 2012 and four years later she found the courage to release A Thin Place, dedicated to the memory of her son Brandon, whom she lost in 2013. Fall of 2018, Ruth-Ann became widowed for a second time. She has three living adult children, Jai, Austin and Alexandra and three grandchildren, Elijah, Jaidon and Shandon. She holds to the promise "... when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10)